Study of two figures: one seated, the other standing (recto). Study of a head looking upwards (verso)

George Romney

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Long deft strokes of graphite are here applied trace the slim figure of a woman who bows her neck to watch a seated figure who rapidly writes or sews. The draftsmanship used to describe the observer suggests composure, and contrasts with the frenetic calligraphy Romney employed to describe her companion, and the sheet comes from a sketchbook used by the artist between 1775-78, first in Italy then London. The present drawing likely dates around 1777, after Romney's return to England.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art